Inner Asian Nomads and World-System Analysis

Summary

This is an abstract from the "World-Systems and Globalization in Archaeology: Assessing Models of Intersocietal Connections 50 Years since Wallerstein’s “The Modern World-System”" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

World-systems analysis was created to describe capitalism. However, in 1989, Abu-Lughod expanded the temporal boundaries. She described the world-system of the thirteenth century, and now it has become customary to talk about Mongolian globalization. After her, Gunder-Frank, Chase-Dunn, Hall, and Wilkinson showed that world-systems analysis is applicable to preindustrial states, archaic, and primitive societies. In Afro-Eurasia, the nomads have performed important intermediary functions between regional world-systems cores (civilizations). They occupied a place of semi-periphery and have provided the connection of the flows of goods, finances, and technological and cultural information. The imperial and “quasi-imperial” organization of the nomads in Inner Asia developed after the ending of the “axial age” at the time of the creation of the Ch’in empire in China. In comparative perspectives, it was in regions first, where there were available large spaces favorable to nomadic pastoralism (regions off the Black Sea, Volga steppes, Mongolia, etc.) and, secondly, where the nomads were forced into long and active contact with more highly organized agricultural urban societies (Scythians and Western Asian ancient states, Hunns and Roman—Byzantium Empires, nomads of Inner Asia and China from Xiongnu to medieval and premodern Mongols etc.).

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• World-Systems and Globalization in Archaeology: Assessing Models of Intersocietal Connections 50 Years since Wallerstein’s “The Modern World-System”   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38527.0